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So. We adopted a rescue dog about five months ago, the infamous Jackson. Since that time, we've been working daily to address her various behavioral issues.

In some respects we've been successful. Her "house" manners are pretty good at this point, although she still gets overly excited when someone she's never met comes to visit. Her recall skills are improving steadily, and her reaction zone has diminished.

However, this dog is still a hot mess when it comes to her behavior on leash.

Subscribing to the theory that a tired dog is a happy dog, we walk her daily. And every day it's a struggle. She has an extremely high prey drive. She has a severe case of leash aggression. She's never been properly trained to behave correctly. We hired a private trainer to help us learn how to correct these behaviors. We've been working on it for five months. We've tried to follow our trainer's advice diligently. And the only success we've had is that her reaction zone has diminished from approximately 40 feet to approximately 25 feet. She continues to lose her shit every time she sees another dog on the path. And by lose her shit I mean she becomes 50 pounds of struggling, snarling, twisting, clawing Tasmanian Devil. My legs are in a constant state of bruises and scratches (the last one the size of a softball), and on one occasion she lost herself so thoroughly that she bit me trying to get away. She jumps and snarls at cyclists, and while she doesn't struggle as much to get away when she sees a deer or rabbit on the trail, she's still easily distracted. And the more distracted she becomes, the worse her reaction when she does see a dog on the trail.

And then yesterday she kept picking fights at doggy day care, causing a puncture in one dog's lip, and then brilliantly attempting to start some shit with a Bull Mastiff. Her caregivers removed her from that situation before she got herself hurt, but when they called me, I was close to tears at this new example of her neurosis.

She just can't be trusted.

So on the advice of two professional trainers and a veterinary technician, tomorrow she's going to the vet so that we can discuss getting a prescription for a low-grade tranquilizer.

We just don't know what else to do, and if she bites me (or anyone, I'm just the most likely candidate) one more time, we've agreed to give her up, as we just can't have that. Nor can we have a dog who gets so wrapped when overly stimulated that she scares everyone within eye or ear shot. That's not good canine citizenship, and other people have the right to use the trails without having to worry about our neurotic dog.

We really hope this last ditch effort will provide her psyche some stability. We hope, we hope.

Shondra Rhimes and Zen Pencils take on the idea of dreaming big versus working hard. Hint: Fortune favors the prepared mind, also known as getting off the couch.
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James Webb, former Secretary of the Navy and Senator from Virginia is considering running for President. I've admired Senator Webb since 1988, when he resigned from his Secretary post on a matter of principle. I don't think anyone has any illusions about his chances, but his potential candidacy falls into the "embarrassment of riches" category for me.
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An essay by Rabbi Adam Cholom about how life's challenges make us the most human. The money quote:

People ask me how I handle painful situations like funerals. I don’t
look forward to them, but they are moments of peak experience, moments
when we are truly human in our rawest and most honest form. That gamut
of human emotions is there at any moment of the human condition –
somewhere in the world, people are suffering unjustly and celebrating
new life and falling in love and mourning a loss right now, and our
sympathies and excitement could connect with any of them, and with all
of them.

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Video of the Week: A Capella artist Peter Hollens performs I See Fire from The Hobbit.

You know, I love seeing older adults embrace new technology. Since I spend so much time in airports, I'll often see seniors with iPads, Kindles, or smartphones, and I think it's wonderful that they're not shaking their canes at electronics and telling them to get off their lawns.

But some of them need a lesson in public etiquette when it comes to their devices.

I have zero desire to listen to bells, whistles and tones that are associated with whatever game you're playing on your mobile device. Seriously - you're going to push someone over the edge with that shit.

Today's the day after Labor Day, which means summer is officially OVER. This saddens me, because I'm not very fond of the cold, but on the other hand, it means that it's time to announce the WINNERS of the Fourth Annual Maureen "AJ" Ramey Memorial Summer Reading Program, brought to you by Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men.

This year we read 345 books, exceeding our initial goal, and almost reaching our first stretch goal of 350. This means I will be donating $300.00 directly to the Douglas County Library, and the Incomparable Anne™ will be donating $45.00 to the Douglas County Library Association in memory of our lost, beloved Moe.

The WINNERS of the Fourth Annual Maureen "AJ" Ramey Memorial Summer Reading Program, brought to you by Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men are:

Remus, who read The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank

and

Random Michelle, who read Speaking from Among the Bones, by Alan Bradley

Congratulations to you both! Random Michelle, I already have your e:Mail address. Remus, if you'd please send me yours using the contact details below the header, I'll get both your Amazon gift cards to you forthwith.

About Me

I am a Hot Chick living in Castle Rock, CO with my fabulous family. We have a rescue dog named "Jackson," and she's a Basenji/Shepherd mix. She's something of a head case, but we love her. I'm a U.S. Navy vet, and I currently work as an Enterprise Solutions Architect, specializing in VoIP and multimedia contact center design. I care about social justice, libraries, science, the U.S. Constitution and the military. I serve as a Director on our local library's Foundation Board. I'm a tax and spend liberal in a largely red county, but I try not to be stabby about it. I aspire to run faster than I do, and I donate knitted cold weather gear to various charities. Stupidity, cupidity and wanton assholery piss me off, and I'm more than a little soft when it comes to dogs and those who serve others. I blog about whatever I feel like. I use foul language, so if that sort of thing offends you, feel free to fuck off now - if I'm unwilling to clean up my language for my fabulous Great Auntie Margie, I'm unlikely to do so for you. Newcomers are welcome here, especially those who disagree with me, but trolling and spamming will be met with the Shovel of Doom™.